National Aeronautics and Space Administration

DeskFit
20 ESSENTIAL DESK EXERCISES YOU
CAN DO WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR
OFFICE OR HOME WORKSPACE
Created by the NASA Headquarters Fitness Center
Tanya Johnson, Marceleus Venable, and Kimber Williams

DQUA
HEA RT
SA ER
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I CHOOSE TO BE
HEALTHY
SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH

www.nasa.gov
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines
for Americans (second edition) recommends that all adults need at least 150 to 300
minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic (cardiovascular) activity and at least two days
of muscle-strengthening activity each week. The foremost guideline for all adults is to
sit less and move more. There is a strong correlation between sedentary behavior and
increased risk of all causes of mortality, including heart disease, cancer, and numerous
metabolic diseases. Regular physical activity helps to manage chronic health condi-
tions, such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, arthritis, dementia, and obesity. It
provides long-term benefits for reducing anxiety, improving sleep and cognition, lower-
ing risk of injuries, and maintaining a healthy weight.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in four adults sits
more than 8 hours a day, and half of Americans do not meet weekly physical activity
guidelines. Many jobs are considered sedentary, and employees frequently work from
home, so it can be challenging to sit less and move more.
 DESKFIT
Research shows that working professionals who exercise during the day feel healthier
and experience positive associations with job performance, including improvement
in time management skills and mental performance. Employees are more likely to
demonstrate better moods, increased motivation, greater stamina to complete work,
less stress, and better interactions with coworkers.

Ten Tips To Stay Healthy at Work or While Working from Home:

1 Ensure that your workspaces in the office and at home are
ergonomically set up to prevent injuries.
2 Take a break from sitting every 30 minutes. A brief 5–10-minute
break can help rejuvenate your mind and prevent chronic pain.
3 Walk and use the stairs whenever possible.
4 Alternate sitting and standing throughout the day.
5 Offer walking meetings as alternatives to sitting in conference
rooms.
6 Schedule time to exercise daily as a priority—as you would
plan other important work responsibilities.
7 Break up physical activity into smaller durations of time—such
as 10 minutes before work, 10 minutes at lunch, and 10 minutes
after work—if longer durations of exercise do not fit within
your schedule.
8 Incorporate microbreaks of 1–2 minutes every 30–60 minutes
to stand up and stretch your entire body.
9 Use a hands-free headset for your phone so you can move
around easily.
10 Eat nutritious meals and keep healthy snacks available.

For further information or assistance with staying healthy, please contact the
NASA Headquarters Fitness Center.
9 Ways Excessive and Improper Sitting
Can Harm You
Head
Sitting for long periods of time can
cause blood clots, which can travel
to the brain causing a stroke.
Lungs
You are twice as likely
to develop a pulmonary
embolism or blood clot if
you sit most of the day.
Arms
The reduction of physical
activity leads to hyper-
tension or high blood
pressure.
Stomach
Excessive sitting
contributes to
obesity and colon
cancer. Enzymes in
the blood vessels of muscles
responsible for burning fat shut
down, leading to the disruption
of the body’s method of
metabolizing fuels.
Feet
Numbness in the feet can be
caused by poor circulation. It
can also cause nerve damage or
pressure on nerves when you sit
for long periods.
Neck
Fluid retained in the legs during
the day moves to the neck and
contributes to sleep apnea. Neck
muscles are stressed, leading
to pain.
Heart
People who live a sed-
entary lifestyle are up to
twice as likely to develop
diabetes and heart
disease than those who
move frequently.
Back
Sitting for long
periods of time
places a high
amount of pres-
sure on the spine.
Over time, sitting can
result in compression of the
spinal disks. Because muscles
are tight from pressure, sudden
movements can lead to injury.
Legs
Fluid collects in the legs while
we are sitting. Standing up and
walking helps pump it through
our body.
 How Excessive and Improper Sitting
All Day Affects the Body

Neck gets tense and tight

Trapezius muscle gets strained

Discs in
lower back
begin to
bulge

Knee pain
develops

Hips get weak

Sciatica develops
Feet become flatter
 STAND UP for your HEALTH and
BREAK UP your extended sitting with…

DESKFIT

20 ESSENTIAL DESK EXERCISES YOU

CAN DO WITHOUT LEAVING YOUR
OFFICE OR HOME WORKSPACE
 DESKFIT
EXERCISES
Program Recommendations
*Stretches and exercises may be completed any time during the day. They do not
need to be completed all at once. If it is more convenient for you to spread the
stretches or exercises throughout the day, that is effective for improving health.
*For a suggested program, aim to complete the exercises on Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday and the stretches on Tuesday and Thursday one week. Then, alternate
to stretches on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and exercises on Tuesday and
Thursday the following week—and repeat the cycle.
*Take a break from prolonged sitting every 30 minutes.
*A 5-10 minute break will recharge your mind and prevent chronic pain. Focus on
short micro breaks of 1-2 minutes every 30-60 minutes to stand up and stretch
your body.
*Alternate sitting and standing throughout the day.
For further assistance with exercises and stretches, please contact the NASA
Headquarters Fitness Center.

SEATED MARCHES
Sit on the chair with your back straight. Bend
your legs at the knees and “run” on the spot
with short, quick steps as fast as you can for
15–20 seconds.
EXERCISES

SEATED LEG EXTENSIONS

Sit on the edge of your chair with your arms by
your sides. Extend your right leg out straight
and flex your foot so that just the right heel is
on the floor (keeping your foot flexed engages
the muscles in the shin and ankle). Lift your leg
up as high as you can without rounding your
back. Hold for two counts, then lower. Repeat
with the other leg. Perform 10 reps on each leg.

SEATED REVERSE SHOULDER FLY

Sit on the edge of the chair and lean forward
while keeping your lower back naturally
arched. Your palms should be facing each other.
Raise your arms straight out from your sides.
Pause and then slowly return to the starting
position. Repeat the exercise 15 times.

Prolonged sitting increases risk of spinal,

shoulder, carpel tunnel, and leg disorders

STANDING CALF RAISES

Stand up behind your chair and hold on for
support. Raise your heels off the floor until you
are standing on your toes. Slowly lower yourself
back to the floor.
Perform 12–15 times.
 EXERCISES

SEATED TORSO TWISTS

Sit on the edge of the chair, bend your legs at
the knees, and lean slightly back without round-
ing your spine. Bend your arms so your elbows
are level with the bottom of your ribcage. Pull
your navel in and twist slowly to the left. Inhale
and twist to the right. Repeat the exercise
dynamically 20 times total.

CHAIR SIT AND STAND

Stand in front of the chair with your legs shoul-
der-width apart. Squat down like you are sitting
on the chair but without actually touching it.
Maintain a proper position: back straight, knees
above the feet, weight on the heels. Straighten
your legs to go back to the starting position.
Repeat the movement 10–15 times.

DESK PUSH-UPS
While standing, position yourself a few feet from
your desk. Keep your feet together. Then, put
your palms on the edge of your desk, about a
shoulder width away from each other. Lower
down to the edge of the desk, and push back
to the starting position. Perform 8–15 times. To
modify, perform push-up against a wall or on
the floor.

“Sitting for more than 3 hours per day increases risk for all-cause
mortality deaths.”
—Van Uffelen J.G. et al., 2010; Patel et al., 2010
EXERCISES

STANDING LEG CURL

Stand behind your chair and hold onto it for
support. Keep your body straight and firm.
Start by raising one foot up to your backside
and then lowering it down. Repeat the process
for 10–15 times, and then switch to the other
leg and repeat.

DESK DIP
Put your hands to the edge of the desk, shoul-
der-width apart. Slide your bottom off the desk
and hold yourself up with your arms straight.
While keeping your back close to the desk,
slowly bend at the elbows and go as low as you
can. Return to the starting position. Repeat the
exercise 10–15 times.

DESK PLANK
Place your forearms on the desk, hands touch-
ing each other and relaxed. Extend your legs
with your toes on the floor. Contract your ab-
dominal muscles. Make sure that you maintain
a straight line from your head to toes without
lifting or sinking your hips. Hold the position for
10–15 seconds.
STRETCHES
SEATED HAMSTRING STRETCH
Sit in your chair with both feet on the ground,
then extend one leg outward. Reach toward
your toes.
Hold stretch for 10–15 seconds while taking
deep breaths. Repeat on the other leg for
two sets.

SEATED SHOULDER ROLL

Raise both shoulders up toward your ears,
then slowly roll them backward. Repeat, rolling
forward. Sit tall and do not allow your upper
back to round.
Complete this two times in both directions.

Sitting too much increases cholesterol and

accelerates weight gain.
 STRETCHES

SEATED NECK STRETCH

Sit tall on your chair, feet flat on the floor,
without leaning into your chair back.
Relax your chin down toward your chest
and hold.
Lift your chin up toward the ceiling and hold.
Bring your head forward and tilt your right ear
toward your right shoulder and hold.
Bring your head up and tilt to the opposite (left)
side and hold.
Breathe deeply throughout your stretches for
10–15 seconds for each.

SEATED LEAN STRETCH

Sit up tall and raise your arm. Bend toward your
left side reaching with your right hand overhead
and hold for 10–15 seconds.
Repeat to other side for two sets.

“For people who sit most of the day, their risk of heart attack is
about the same as smoking.”
–Martha Grogan, MD,
a Mayo Clinic cardiologist in Wall Street Journal
article on beating heart attacks
STRETCHES

WRIST/FOREARM STRETCH
Stretch your arm out in front of you.
Slowly, point your fingers down until you feel
a stretch. Use the other hand to gently pull the
raised hand toward the body. Hold this position
for 3–5 seconds.
Point your fingers toward the ceiling until you
feel a stretch. Use the other hand to gently
pull the raised hand toward the body. Hold this
position for 3–5 seconds.
Repeat this stretch two times in each direction.

SEATED CHEST AND

BACK STRETCH
Clasp your hands behind your lower back. Push
your chest outward, and raise your chin.
Hold this stretch for 10–15 seconds with deep
breaths. Perform two sets.
Hold your arms out straight in front of you,
palms facing down. Lower your head in line
with your arms, and round your upper back
while looking down toward the floor.
Hold this stretch for 10–15 seconds with deep
breaths. Perform two sets.

SEATED CEILING REACH

Clasp your hands together above your head
with your palms facing up toward the ceiling.
Push your arms up, stretching upward.
Hold this stretch for 10–15 seconds while
taking deep breaths. Perform two sets.
 STRETCHES

SEATED TRICEP STRETCH

Raise one arm and bend it so that your hand
reaches to touch the opposite shoulder blade.
(It’s okay if you can’t reach it.)
Use your other hand and pull your elbow toward
your head.
Hold this stretch for 10–15 seconds while taking
deep breaths. Repeat on the other side for two
sets.
SEATED SHOULDER PULL
Sit tall on your chair, feet flat on the floor,
without leaning into your chair back. Engage the
abs and bring your left arm across your chest,
holding it below the elbow.
Keep the shoulders relaxed, down and away
from your ears.
Hold this stretch for 10–15 seconds with deep
breaths. Repeat with the other arm for two sets.
SEATED ANKLE ROLL
While seated, extend one leg until your foot is
off the floor and slowly rotate your foot clock-
wise 10 times. With the same foot, repeat the
exercise in a counterclockwise motion.
Switch to other the foot and repeat.

Consult your physician before participating in any

exercise program.
For more information, contact the
NASA Headquarters Fitness Center
at 202-358-0138 or
http://fitnesscenter.hq.nasa.gov/
.